1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to playground equipment and other types of play structures for children.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional playground equipment is often used in a variety of locations and environments such as parks and schools. Children often use playground equipment for various types of fun, games, exercises and other activities.
Playground equipment can also be used at home or in residential settings. Playground equipment that is used at home, which is sometimes referred to as a play structure, may be located in backyards or other suitable locations.
Conventional playground equipment may include swings, slides, bars, ladders, playhouses and climbing walls. Some known playground equipment combines these different elements into a single structure. For example, a single piece of playground equipment may include one or more swings, slides, bars, ladders, playhouses, climbing walls, etc.
Known playground equipment and play structures are difficult to transport and ship because of the large size of the various components. For example, conventional playground equipment and play structures may include support poles that are ten, twelve or fifteen feet in length. In addition, conventional playground equipment and play structures may be packaged within a number of large boxes. These large boxes may be very heavy and awkward to move. In addition, a large amount of unused space may be located within the boxes, which may require a large amount of shipping materials to fill the unused spaced.
Known playground equipment and play structures may also require specialized boxes or containers for shipping, which may undesirably increase shipping and transportation costs. Additionally, these specialized boxes or containers may be quite large or have an odd size and shape, which may also increase shipping and transportation costs. Further, if a consumer purchases the playground equipment or play structures from a retail store, then the large, heavy and/or odd sized packaging and long support poles may make it very difficult or impossible for the consumer to use a conventional automobile to transport the equipment or structures. Instead, the consumer may have to use a truck or a delivery company to deliver the playground equipment or play structure. This may significantly increase costs for the consumer and may discourage the consumer from purchasing the playground equipment or play structures.